British scientists are heading back to Mars. Nine months after the ill-fated Beagle 2 lander failed to send back a signal from the red planet, the UK agreed yesterday to join a European programme to explore the solar system.

The first missions will send robot explorers to Mars to search for signs of life and return a Martian soil sample to Earth.

But, announcing the UK's participation in the European Space Agency's Aurora programme, the science minister, Lord Sainsbury, said Britain would not support a manned mission to Mars. One of Aurora's objectives is to land an astronaut on Mars by 2033.

"Our focus is very much on exploiting robot technology because that is where we feel we will get the best scientific return," he said.

The Aurora missions would begin with a demonstrator probe in 2007 to rehearse a landing on Mars. A car-sized rover would then be sent to the planet in 2009. This may be equipped with technology taken from Beagle 2, giving it the ability to drill into rocks and test for signs of life.

Britain has pledged £5m to join Aurora. The money will be paid by the government-funded Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC), which hopes it will guarantee UK scientists a major role in the programme.

The money will go towards defining a road map for Aurora and starting work on its first robotic missions.

The costs will rise as Aurora progresses, and in 2006 Britain will be asked to pay between £10m and £25m a year over the next 10 years for full membership.

Ian Halliday, chief executive of PPARC, said the move "put the UK in a commanding position to shape and define a programme that meets our national scientific and industrial objectives".

Britain sees the robot missions as sufficient; other European countries want to use them as a stepping stone to a manned mission.

"Colin Pillinger, who led the Beagle 2 mission, called for a faster programme that would not waste time with a demonstrator lander.He wanted to go back to Mars to search for evidence of life. "I believe we should be getting there to address these questions by 2007."